


Ice, Sparks, and Wookie Obscenities

by rainydayadvocate



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M, Hoth, Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 18:57:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainydayadvocate/pseuds/rainydayadvocate
Summary: Echo Base is still in its early days of settlement. General Syndulla and Commander Solo are sent out to a recon mission. Unfortunately, the Falcon wasn't quite ready for the below-freezing temperatures. Fortunately, Han and Hera know how to make an uncomfortable situation better.





	Ice, Sparks, and Wookie Obscenities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ambiguously](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguously/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy!!

Crackly feedback and yelling came over the comms from the _Millennium Falcon_ , the ship that had, in the last few years, come to challenge the _Ghost_ as the Rebel fleet’s best freighter. To the average pilot, a YT-1300 would have been a fossil, a long-forgotten ship of the Republican age. In the hands of Han Solo and Chewbacca, that fossil could sing. Hera knew the _Ghost_ as a significantly newer and personally modified VCX-100 was the better ship, but damn it if Han couldn’t out-maneuver her sixty percent of the time.

And then there was the other forty percent. Sometimes, Hera feared the _Falcon_ only lost when the comm feedback sounded like it did right now. “I can see the controls are frozen. Don’t think I can see the controls are frozen? Well don’t get mad at me for it, I’m not the one that didn’t do a good enough job prepping the hull for this ice bucket.” Chewie’s reply was a string of obscenities that sounded both angry and amused, a feat wookies were particularly good at.

She had to admit, Han had a point. When they scouted out Hoth, they chose it for its remotedness and the ability to almost completely conceal a shield generator. They had not anticipated the cold of a planet would affect ships so much more than the cold of space. Not even the _Ghost_ , which its superior atmosphere stabilization and temperature control, could stop Hera’s breath from steaming in the cockpit.

But, that also meant this was a good time to challenge Han.

“Commander,” she said into the comm, breaking off another argument over how cold it was and whose fault it was. “While I’m enjoying this lovely time we’re having together, how about we speed this up, hmn?”

Han sighed before he answered. The sound made Hera grin. “A race? Out here?”

“Afraid you can’t win out here, Solo?”

“No. I just meant a race out here will be child’s play.” Hera could practically hear Chewie roll his eyes in the growl that followed.

“Good. Then race me back to base, following the eastern hemisphere line, and traveling through that ice canyon we found about a hundred kilometers from Echo Base.”

Confidence dripped from Han’s voice as he confirmed, “You’re on.”

And they were off. Both Corellian light freighters banked in sharp turns and headed back North. The _Falcon_ got the early lead, but only because Hera let them have it. After a minute or so, sparks flew out from the communications dish. Hera laughed. “Gentlemen, you appear to be sparking.”

“We noticed, but thank you.”

“Don’t you think you should stop and get that looked at?”

“Now? Not on your life.” And with that, Han punched his sublight engines, trying to get away from her. It didn’t last. The sparks turned into a puff of smoke, and Chewie uttered obscenities Hera wouldn’t repeat even in the most casual company.

Another voice cut into their line. “Uh, Commander. We’re reading some unusual heat from the _Falcon_ ’s censors. Everything okay?” Leia asked, sounded more amused than concerned. “General, what’s your assessment?”

“That Han doesn’t know when to quit,” Hera replied. Chewie agreed with them. Han growled. Hera frowned as the _Falcon_ lost altitude, and she had to keep pulling back on the throttle to keep the _Ghost_ from bumping into the other ship. “Han, I’m calling a truce. Is the _Falcon_ okay?”

“She’s okay,” he replied through clenched teeth. “But I will need to stop and do repairs before flying back to base. Your highness, I would like to report that this planet is not safe for extended starship travel without modification to our ships.”

“That wasn’t quite what we’d hoped you’d discover on this run, but thank you for the assessment.” Leia paused. “General, you’ll make sure the flyboys get home safe before nightfall?”

“Yes, your highness, assuming Han manages a smooth landing.”

“Good luck with that. Echo Base out.”

Han set down in the ice canyon, a smart move that cut down on crosswinds. By the time she’d set the _Ghost_ down and retrieved her coat, Han and Chewie were both walking across the top of the hull, looking at damage. “I know it’s not good. I’d’ve flown back to base if I’d thought we were good.”

“Trouble?” Hera asked from near the ramp.

Han lowered himself down, carefully, narrowly catching his foot on the service ladder propped against the bow of the ship. “It’s not too bad. We need to defrost a power line and repair an overload. She’ll be running enough to hobble back to base for real repairs in no time.”

“Good. Do you need my help?”

“Why, yes. Thank you, General.” They left Chewie in the cold, monitoring heaters positioned on the hull. Han led her inside. Rather than doing the sensible thing and heading for the damaged power module, Han pressed her against the game table and gave her a solid kiss.

Yes, the occasional race ended like this, but typically that was only races that actually finished, not races that were interrupted by a malfunctioning ship. That said, Hera couldn’t resist the eager attention Han gave her and kissed him back. Her fingers slip[ed beneath the hood of his coat into his soft hair. He returned the gesture with a light caress down the side of her left lek. A moan escaped between them, Hera unsure who had initiated it. She tried to pull back but he only kissed her again. “We didn’t even finish the race this time.”

Han shrugged and she twisted her fingers around the ends of his hair. “Maybe I wanted us to be stuck out here where we have a little more room. Echo Base is a little tighter quarters than I prefer.”

He had a point. It was very difficult to not have someone notice what you’re doing, given the narrow passageways and lack of communal space. The hangar was spacious, but it was constantly full of squadrons and mech crews.

Han deepened the kiss and pressed Hera’s back into the table. Her leg instinctively lifted and hooked around his hip. His hand slipped up the back of her thigh to help hold it firmly in place.

Hera still firmly believed that there was only one true love of her life. No one would ever replace Kanan, and she didn’t want anyone to. Jacen was her near-constant reminder of an everlasting love. But right now, he wasn’t with her. The hostile nature of Hoth was no place for a young boy. And so he was on Ryloth, and she felt her son’s absence as an ache somewhere between her heart and her stomach. Moments like this, usually with Han, unclenched the ache, even for just a second. Kanan was still her only love, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others who understood her and gave her what she needed.

Han had unbuttoned her jacket, keeping her collarbone warm with a trail of kisses, when Chewie called into the comm. Han looked up, his gaze catching Hera’s for a moment before he reached for it. “Yes, I’m heading there right now, I promise. And I know you’re cold, you don’t have to keep saying so.”

He clicked the comm back off and picked off where he had left off. His finger started to drag the collar of her flight suit down, but Hera reluctantly stopped him. “Let’s not freeze Chewie to death, hmn?” she said, tugging her flight suit out of his grasp.

Han Solo actually whimpered before saying, “I know, I know. You’re right. He’s wearing a jacket _and_ he’s covered in fur. What is he complaining about anyway?” Han stood up and brushed himself off. Once he was a safe distance away, Hera did the same.

Three minutes later, they were removing a burnt power coupling and replacing it with a new part. “So, uh, do we call this one a draw?” Han asked, passing Hera the bad part.

She inspected the burn marks to see if it was salvageable with cleaning, glancing up at him. “You are joking, right? Your ship caught on fire and sparked on an ice planet. I win by default.”

“I don’t think that’s fair,” Han complained, tightening the new coupling into place.

While he checked power flow, Hera leaned up close to his ear, “Why don’t you come to my quarters after lights out for your consolation prize, hmn?”

“Oh yeah?” He leaned in to kiss her. The power coupling thrummed to life and Hera found herself wanting to give Han a consolation prize immediately, but Chewie interrupted them with an excited exclamation into the comm. The _Falcon_ was ready to hobble the rest of the way back to Echo Base.

Hera let the kiss linger a second longer than she should have. “Oh yeah,” she replied.

Han grinned and pulled back. “So, uh, race you back to base?”

“Oh, Solo. You know I am going to blow you away right now.”

“Yeah, that’s what you think, General.”

Hera laughed. “You’re on.”


End file.
